Metal thefts from farms appear to be a problem this spring.
A captain at the Portage County Sheriff's Department says thieves are stealing copper wiring, aluminum and other scrap metals, and then selling it.
He says the thefts often go unnoticed because farmers don't check on their equipment during the winter.
"Most of the time they like to leave those things out in the fields but for a thief that's easier to access, nobody's around, it's out in the middle of nowhere, and so they have time to steal these things," says Captain Dale O'Kray.
He says there isn't anywhere to sell scrap metal in Portage County, but the stolen metal could be taken to places as far away as Green Bay, which makes it much harder to track down the thieves.
